Chapter 855

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

She sold a portion of the wheat ears she brought back to the Officials in exchange for the daily needed points, and brought another portion back to the Room; after drying them, she sent them to the Shelter's internal Grain Processing Jia Gong Chang for processing.

Don't be fooled by the many buildings inside the Shelter — it lacks nothing that should be there; similar facilities like processing factories, food factories, and so on all exist. Their utility is limited for now, but one cannot deny that it is because of them that the Shelter can be more complete.

She temporarily placed the hemp sacks full of wheat ears in the Corner by the Doorway; after resting for a few days, the group moved to the large House they had swapped for on the adjacent Floor, and the wheat ears in the sacks finally got the chance to be taken out and sun-dried.

The two-bedroom, one-living-room House had a Balcony that wasn't very large but faced south in a long strip; she spread the wheat ears out flat after breaking them up, and borrowing the bright light coming through the Window, the wheat ears were dried in just half a day.

She reached out and pinched the weight of the wheat ear Seeds to ensure wheat ears like these could be sent to the Rice and Flour Processing Jia Gong Chang; Shen Yao quickly took these things away.

The points were transferred via the Household Card, and she arranged to come tomorrow to pick up the milled Flour; Shen Yao dusted off her Palms, turned around, and called the three Shen Chengyi who were waiting Outside, heading straight for the East Gate.

Supply vehicles left from there every day; most circled the surrounding Cities, while a few had reclamation Missions. Shen Yao's group of four currently didn't want to reclaim land; their main purpose was still to store as much staple Grain that could stave off hunger as possible.

The Farm — unless the Officials had no supply vehicles going there — was where they would spend most of their time.

The Farm's Danger was plain to see, and the Farm's Benefits were obvious. Every time Shen Yao's group of four showed themselves outside, they were the lucky ones who faced peril after peril yet returned safely each time. The Supplies they accumulated grew more and more, filling their originally empty Residence to the brim.

Because she was too busy with the matters at hand, Shen Yao overlooked the problem the System had once mentioned: Huo Wenkai appeared in the Official Shelter.

Shen Yao: ……

【Tsk, he really came over?】

Shen Yao Stared unblinkingly at Huo Wenkai, who was smiling gently and amiably Not Far Away, thinking to herself that this person was quite good at putting on an act; who knew how he was Scheming behind the scenes.

System: ……

【Host, he was a big star before the apocalypse, and a lucky one who successfully Evolved after it; you can't look down on him just because he's down on his luck now.】

Although the Host never really took Huo Wenkai seriously from start to finish — after all, this person was keen on profit, and he and Shen Yao were a match made in heaven (limited to cooperation).

【Oh, then he really is lucky; the Officials haven't even started recruiting yet, but he jumped in relying on his own ability.】

Even if Huo Wenkai's position was dispensable, having Official backing and having no Official Background were completely different things. Shen Yao gritted her teeth and decided she couldn't wait any longer; she had to move her plan forward. Shen Chengyi was so Talented and Capable — what a pity to send her to the army.

Turning back to the Residence, Shen Yao called out Shen Chengyi, who had been practicing alone.

"My previous thinking was too conservative; perhaps we can be more proactive. The Officials lack capable fighters at any time."

Coincidentally, Shen Chengyi perfectly met the Officials' requirements. Since the recruitment Announcement hadn't been posted, they would just deliver themselves to the door.

Shen Chengyi went to the Mission Hall alone, picking and choosing for a whole morning, and finally selected nearly two dozen Missions.

All were Missions Shen Chengyi could complete and that could perfectly showcase her strength. She refused the staff's well-meaning Reminder, returned home, briefly explained a few things to Shen Yao and the other three, packed her Luggage, grabbed her bag, and drove off.

"Eldest Sister just left like that; when will she come back?"

Shen Chengyu was a bit reluctant, holding Shen Chengning in one arm while asking Shen Yao.

"Depends on Chengyi's Mission situation. If it goes Smoothly, three to five days or so; if Slow, ten days to half a month." This couldn't be completely Certain.

Shen Yao raised her hand and lightly patted Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning on the Shoulders. Their upcoming tasks weren't Relaxed either; the daily collection work couldn't be neglected, and there was Huo Wenkai's matter — it was time to spit it out to the two kids. Otherwise, when the two sides met face to face, the awkwardness at that time was not hard to imagine.

"My Dad?"

"He came to H Province Shelter?"

Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning had an Impression of Huo Wenkai, but this Impression wasn't deep, because neither of them were the type with rich familial ties. Moreover, Huo Wenkai was a star who concealed his private life deeply; the two of them belonged to the category of unacknowledged (and unacknowledgeable) children.

"Want to meet? He's currently working for the Officials," although the nature of the work was dispensable.

Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning looked at each other upon hearing this, and both shook their heads simultaneously.

"No need."

"We'll deal with it if we run into him."

Anyway, they had long passed the age of needing fatherly love. Meeting now would only bring awkwardness and not knowing what to do. Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning fiddled with their Fingers, then came to Shen Yao's side and each hooked an arm through hers. "Mom, let's think about where to go collect Supplies next instead."

What's the point of bringing up a person who hasn't appeared in over a decade? If both sides have a Tacit Understanding, they should have even less contact; who knows, the other party might not be Willing to hear news of them either.

You know, a man at forty-one is One Branch Flower. Cheap Father has unique Advantages; without them, he could still climb high branches with his face; with them, he's just a half-old man, easily reported for fraud.

Shen Yao: ……

Fine then. No matter how you put it, since Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning have this mindset, she doesn't need to worry if they run into Huo Wenkai in the Shelter in the future.

【Host, you should still worry a bit,】 these two kids really don't care at all.

The System Jumped Out. Although it wasn't very concerned about Huo Wenkai's situation either, who let there be an inseverable relationship between the two sides? Blood ties aren't something that can be cut just by saying so. If he really shamelessly tangled with them, with the Host's Temper, the System could imagine what she'd be capable of doing.

Shen Yao huffed a laugh at that. 【You rein it in; if there's Danger, you'll be the first one who can't sit still.】

Compared to her, the System clearly cared more about the Main Mission Line. Until now it hadn't screamed in a panic, which showed Huo Wenkai's situation was Stable; there was a high Probability he wouldn't take the initiative to disturb Shen Yao and her daughters.

System: ……

Ai ya, the Host being too smart leads to this; some things don't need me to emphasize further.

After laughing hee-hee, the System went Guigui Sisi observing Everywhere inside the Shelter. During this period, any news of Huo Wenkai it ran into, it would thoughtfully leave a copy for its own Host. However, Huo Wenkai had a strong sense of Existence even in the apocalypse; he lived very well relying on himself alone.

The Officials probably needed Huo Wenkai's fame to stabilize a portion of the people inside the Shelter. After all, a star's halo was still very Useful. For those lucky ones who were anxious and fearful all day long, having a channel to divert their attention meant they wouldn't cause trouble inside the Shelter.

Shen Yao's group of three continued doing their own thing — basically going out every other day. Shen Chengyi's return took longer than three to five days but not as long as ten days to half a month; she drove back in about a week.

The car was covered in filth all over, as if it had deliberately rolled around in the dirt.

Shen Chengyi herself looked windblown and dusty; her coat was simply thrown on, making her look unrestrained and wild.

She first went to the Mission Hall to hand over, then returned to the Residence after collecting her due Reward.

Shen Yao's three hadn't gone out today; they'd known Shen Chengyi was coming back early via Satellite Phone, so they simply took out the ingredients they'd hoarded in the Space earlier and cooked a table full of sumptuous dishes.

Going out on Missions was just too inconvenient — not only in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities, but even sleeping at night required keeping one eye open and one eye closed, terrified that the slightest carelessness would cause an accident.

Shen Chengyi had had a really hard time these past few days. Fortunately, the final result was very good: not only did she perfectly complete her existing Missions, she also completed additional Missions, Conveniently helping the Officials out.

After eating and drinking her fill, she pushed the Household Card to Shen Yao. "This time there are quite a lot of points; we can lease this Residence long-term, and the price can be a few cents Cheaper."

It counts as an official reciprocal benefit — nothing spectacular, but useful enough.

Shen Yao gave a noncommittal hum at those words, her expression unchanged as she pocketed the household card Shen Chengyi had pushed over; her residence renewal was due anyway, and her points weren't exactly tight, but saving some by borrowing Shen Chengyi's name carried no downside.

She found time to go downstairs to the trading hall and processed a long-term renewal; Shen Yao took the household card with a hefty chunk of points deducted, and on the way down she ran into Huo Wenkai coming up.

Yikes!

She never expected their first formal meeting would take place in a bustling trading center.

Subconsciously raising an eyebrow, Shen Yao and Huo Wenkai locked eyes for a moment, then brushed past each other and went their separate ways.

A woman stood beside Huo Wenkai, looking not too old.

"Brother Huo, what's wrong?"

Does Brother Huo know the person who just passed? But she looks strangely familiar too.

"Nothing, just ran into a former colleague," Huo Wenkai wore a fitting smile — after all, he's a celebrity; he's worked with plenty of people.

Hearing Huo Wenkai say that, the woman echoed the sentiment: no wonder she looked familiar — turns out she's from the entertainment industry, probably some minor star who never made it big; her looks are quite good, yet she's not a household name.

She shook her head, laughing as she went upstairs with Huo Wenkai, saying this time she'd have to trouble him again — recording the same broadcast content every day is overly repetitive, but for survivors living in the shelter it's a rare diversion; Huo Wenkai became a star not just because of his excellent looks, but his speaking voice is also captivating.

One cannot deny Huo Wenkai's current usefulness owes much to the woman's recommendations, but more of it is that Huo Wenkai's basic capability isn't bad; otherwise, no matter the connections, she couldn't openly pull strings for him.

"What courtesy? Thanks to the official rescue being timely, otherwise I still wouldn't know what to do."

Huo Wenkai's smile was distant and faint, yet his body language was anything but reserved; he stayed very close to the woman, and whether intentional or not, anyone watching would never think they were merely ordinary acquaintances.

"System, look at him — still worried?" Who knows, Huo Wenkai might even suspect Shen Yao did it on purpose; if the news that he has a daughter and isn't young broke, it would only damage Huo Wenkai's persona.

"Just watch, he'll come looking for us."

Shen Yao spoke with certainty, because Huo Wenkai excels at calculating gains and losses; in other words, he's been in the entertainment circle too long, thoroughly marinated in its ways — his past cooperation with Shen Yao was based on interest calculation, and seeking her out now is still based on interest calculation.

…………

"You really haven't changed — all these years apart, not a bit of difference."

Don't be fooled by Shen Yao's gentle smile; her words carried not an ounce of indulgence for the other party.

Huo Wenkai did show up, but his timing was extremely delicate — all three kids were absent from home, and even she had been somewhat calculated into it.

"Likewise, we're all the same," Huo Wenkai's face was expressionless.

Before Shen Yao could say more, Huo Wenkai produced a silver-white anonymous household card and pushed it to her, "Inside are points; you mother and daughter have a hard life, this is what a father ought to do."

Shen Yao: ……

"What's this? A buyout?" She didn't refuse; Shen Yao looked at the figure marked in the lower right corner of the card and thought Huo Wenkai sure knows how to make money — five digits of points, few people could pull that out.

"Just concern," Huo Wenkai sidestepped Shen Yao's remark, saying he'd been busy lately — the official side released many missions, the capable bear more work, he couldn't stay idle.

Oh, this is an indirect reminder not to bother him at the official side when there's nothing going on.

Tsk.

Speaking so tactfully — sure enough, stayed in the entertainment circle long, even normal speech becomes difficult.

"Rest assured, us not knowing each other is the maximum-revenue strategy," that way Huo Wenkai will keep supplying them survival points continuously.

What a fine tool person; even for the sake of future convenient living, she won't go disturb Huo Wenkai.

Having gotten the answer she wanted, her facial expression seemed no longer to need holding rigid.

A faint smile, revealing the youth's bearing from back then — only time passes, the youth became middle-aged; some words too hard to speak stayed hidden in her heart, adding a touch of mystery to herself.

"Not speaking — you're always like this; back then, we each had our considerations."

Coming to today, they both bear inescapable responsibility.

Shen Yao waved a hand, "Times have changed; bringing it up now serves no purpose."

They cannot turn back time, nor pursue right and wrong again; meeting once more now is merely about resolving certain hidden dangers quietly, the existence of Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning must be concealed for now.

Huo Wenkai laughed aloud again, and when he left his steps were noticeably lighter.

The system sulked in her mind — never expected the first one it despised would be this scumbag of a man!

"Heh, told you you're worrying for nothing — obviously we mother and daughter are blocking his path to success," she raised a hand and touched her pretty face, Shen Yao turned and pocketed the anonymous household card, then went straight out the door to spend the points.

One portion of points went to rent the residence, one portion to purchase winter supplies, and the remaining portion was split evenly between Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning, "After all, it's the sincerity your father put out."

As biological daughters, Shen Chengyu and Shen Chengning can't truly sever the blood tie even if they don't want it; since that's the case, might as well accept it — sometimes lowering one's head isn't admitting defeat, just switching to a strategy all parties can accept, no need for mutual destruction.